Sneaking Around
by cjh4ever
Summary: A shortish tale involving Jack and Tosh, who make a trip to the beach. Some references to Jack/Ianto.
1. The Car

_Here's a tale that explores the relationship between Jack and Tosh, with a little bit of Jack/Ianto thrown in. It's set just after To the Last Man. Oh, and did I mention Jack's in shorts ..._

1. The Car

Toshiko Sato squirmed; she did not feel comfortable in the car. She looked over her shoulder at the back seat but saw nothing other than her jacket lying there. She turned back to face forward and watched the road and other vehicles. After a while she turned her head and looked out of the side window at the suburbs of Cardiff, bright in the late summer sunshine. Finally, she looked to her right at the driver, the real source of her discomfort.

"Have you forgotten something?" asked Jack Harkness, well aware of his companion's unease. "'Cos if you have, we're not going back."

"No, we've got everything," she said then added. "I still don't know what I'm doing here. Gwen would be much better at this than me. Or the others."

He laughed. "Come on, Tosh. It's a day out. The sun is shining and all's right with the world."

Toshiko was not convinced. She had been uneasy ever since Jack had mentioned this trip the day before. He had received a tip from a reporter on the _Western Mail_ that a local family was up to strange things at Ogmore Beach. Taken in conjunction with other rumours, Jack had been suspicious and had determined to take a look at what was going on. Toshiko had no idea why he had chosen her to accompany him; her place was in the Hub, at her computer. Despite her protests, and Gwen's pleas to go instead, Jack had remained firm that he wanted Toshiko to accompany him.

So it was that Jack had arrived at her flat at 8.30. He had taken one look at her jeans, jumper and ubiquitous leather coat and sent her back to change into something 'more summery'. After several attempts, he had finally agreed to her wearing a T-shirt, a faded cotton skirt and pumps, topped off with a denim jacket she had found buried at the back of the wardrobe. She would not have minded being made to change quite so much if he had been similarly dressed but, no, he had been in his usual 1940s style shirt, trousers and boots. A secretive smile was all she had received when she had pointed this out.

"We should be there in about an hour," Jack said. His eyes were on the road. "We'll park a way up the beach and walk up, as if we're just trippers out for the day. Just nice and leisurely."

"What are you expecting to find?"

"No idea. Just have a gut feeling that something's not right." He glanced at her. "Did you find out anything from your searches?"

"Yes, the family is quite well known." Tosh opened up her laptop which was on her knee: she never went anywhere without it. She read from the screen as she continued, "The Jenkins family were fishermen for generations but with the downturn in the industry they've diversified into tourist trips and salvage. They have four boats; three for tourist day trips and a fairly modern salvage tug." She paused. "They appear to be doing well but they've always sailed close to the wrong side of the law."

"Like what?"

"Well, the head of the family is Emlyn, 63 years old and a hard man by all accounts. He's had run-ins with the police all his life, mainly threatening behaviour, drunkenness and handling stolen goods but there are unproven claims that he's involved in smuggling and lately piracy. Originally it was cigarettes and booze but now its DVDs and CDs with possibly some drugs. He has two sons. Gareth, 45, and David, 38, both in the same mould as their father. Gareth was in gaol for assault, served two years, but has been clean since he got out. David has got close to gaol a couple of times but has managed to avoid it so far."

"My contact, the lovely Sam, said something about a daughter." Jack smoothly accelerated around a car full of children and luggage, enjoying the feel of the powerful Mercedes-Benz engine. He had decided to hire a car to avoid anyone linking them to Torchwood.

"Sam? I thought you and Ianto were ... well, together now," Toshiko prompted. Ianto had indicated, over beer and pizza late one evening, that since Jack had returned from his trip with the Doctor, he and Ianto were seriously involved. "Things seem to be pretty serious between you two."

"We're good, yeah." He lapsed into silence, a private smile playing across his face. He thought of the last few nights they'd spent together and his smile became a grin. "Very good," he said finally.

"So why are you chasing this Sam?" Toshiko pressed. She liked Ianto, she'd didn't want him misled by Jack.

"I only remarked that she's lovely, which she is. I think it's because she's so small, only just five foot; I like small women," he winked at the diminutive Toshiko. "And red curly hair is a definite turn-on." He paused, giving all his attention to the road as a car pulling a swaying caravan overtook a van. He gave them plenty of room and then powered past both vehicles. "How did we get onto this?" he asked. "Why is my love life so interesting all of a sudden?" He flicked a glance at Toshiko who was staring out of the windscreen.

"It was just an observation," she replied coolly. "Ianto's my friend; I don't want to see him hurt." It was silent in the car for some minutes.

"I believe I was asking about the Jenkins daughter," said Jack, having decided not to respond. His relationship with Ianto was not something he felt like talking about.

"Yes, her name's Ruth. She's 28, a lot younger than her brothers. She runs the tourist side of the business and is quite ruthless. The Jenkins' operation – Bay Cruises – was in competition with Cardiff Cruise Boats. However, 18 months ago the latter started having difficulties. No-one would work for them and their boats were damaged as well as their on-shore base. Finally, some illegal drugs were found at their offices following a tip-off, anonymous of course. The owner claimed the Jenkins' were behind it and the police reports show they thought Ruth was heavily involved, but there was no proof. Cardiff Cruise Boats went out of business, although no-one was prosecuted, and Bay Cruises has been the sole operator since." Toshiko pressed more buttons on her laptop. "Ruth has also had problems with the Inland Revenue, like her father. Seems there's some serious tax evasion going on."

"What a lovely family," Jack commented. "Anything else?"

"One interesting fact that may have a bearing on these rumours. Ruth is married to a Christopher Carter who is the Quartermaster at the local UNIT base. We don't have a huge amount on him yet, Gwen is using her contacts to find more."

Jack whistled, "So there's a connection with UNIT? That could well be important. Good work, Tosh," he smiled across at her.

"There's more. I've got various ..."

"Keep it for later," Jack interrupted. "Let's enjoy the lovely day and this beautiful car. There's a service area about 20 minutes from the Beach. We'll stop there, have a coffee and I can get changed into my beach attire." He beamed at Toshiko, looking suspiciously like the cat that got the cream, "You'll like my beach attire!" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Toshiko knew that if Jack was in this mood at only, she checked her watch, 9.15 in the morning, it was going to be a looong day.


	2. Rest Stop

2. Rest Stop

The service area was nicely busy, enough people to make it profitable but not so full that it was hard to park or be served. Jack turned off the engine and opened the door.

"Smell that sea air, Tosh," he said, breathing in deeply. She could smell nothing but stale exhaust fumes and frying onions and said so. "You people, such stunted senses." He got out of the car and opened the boot. He took out a red overnight bag. "I'm going to change. Keep your eyes open for anything interesting."

"Okay. Shall I get you a coffee?" she asked, exiting the vehicle. She took her jacket with her but deposited her laptop in the boot, alongside Jack's greatcoat.

"No, thanks. I'm not sure what I want yet. You get yourself sorted; I'll join you later." He locked the car and they walked into the main foyer. Jack headed off for the gents toilets and Toshiko joined the queue for drinks. She bought a coffee and a large muffin – she'd had no breakfast – and found a quiet corner table near the window.

She looked around her at the people gathered there. Mostly they were Welsh accents she heard, some even speaking Welsh, but there was also a smattering of English tourists. There were young families, single businessmen and women on their way to meetings and quite a few elderly couples obviously out for the day. In one corner, the furthest away from Toshiko, by her choice, was a gang of teenagers. They were up and down, screeching the chairs back and forth on the tiled floor, as they shouted at each other and into their mobiles. Toshiko shuddered; she had never fitted into groups like that and still felt uncomfortable around them. Close to her one of the families was having a row about some juice the elder daughter had spilled, over her father's map. Swearing at the crying child was the father's answer while the mother looked on apathetically. Toshiko shuddered again; she couldn't imagine anything worse than being in charge of a child.

She looked away and spotted a couple of girls laughing with a guy at the counter. The three made a striking picture. The girls were tall, pretty, slim and dressed in skimpy beach dresses. They looked about 25 or so and the guy was muscular and wearing a white T-shirt and green shorts that showed off a pert bum and well-shaped legs. He had a good tan and Toshiko decided he was probably a surfer. The three were obviously enjoying themselves, out for the day together. Toshiko looked away, wondering why she had never had that sort of a friendship with anyone.

She had finished her muffin when she looked around for Jack. He had been gone 15 minutes, surely he didn't need that long to change! She scanned the crowd near the counter but couldn't see him. A quick look round the rest of the large area didn't locate him either. She looked out of the window at the car: no Jack. She hesitated, wondering what to do. She decided to give him another 10 minutes, while she finished her coffee, and if he had not turned up by then she would go and look for him. In that time, the family with the girls left, the father continuing to rant at the still upset child that had spilt the drink. A lot of the teenagers were now back at the counter, pushing and shoving one another and nearly knocked over an elderly lady with a tray. The pretty girls were sitting together giggling and talking quietly, occasionally peering over at the guy in the shorts who was lounging at another table; they had obviously not been together as she had thought. She kept glancing at the door to the gents but Jack did not appear. She consulted her watch again, he had been gone nearly 30 minutes, time to go and find him.

Toshiko rose from the table, picked up her shoulder bag and made for the toilets. On the way she passed the table with the guy in shorts. "Where you going, Tosh?" drawled a familiar voice.

She looked down, startled, and recognised – "Jack!" Her mouth gaped as her brain caught up.

Jack took a swig from his bottle of water and smiled up at her. "Gonna join me?" he asked, indicating a chair. Wordlessly she sat opposite him. "You're not observant enough. I see I shall have to give you some much needed lessons in being sneaky."

"I really didn't recognise you," she managed to say at last. "I saw you, at the counter, but I didn't realise it was you."

He leaned forward conspiratorially, "Too busy checking out my ass?" Toshiko flushed and Jack chuckled delightedly; he loved embarrassing her. "Captain Jack's first rule of sneaky: change your appearance to avoid detection."

"Fine," she said, determined not to give him any more chances to have fun at her expense. "Shouldn't we be going?"

"Yeah. We've been here long enough." He rose and put his half-drunk bottle of water in the holder at the side of his blue rucksack. "Let's go." He put his hand in the small of her back and steered her towards the door; as he passed the girls he'd spoken to before he wished them a cheery good-bye. Toshiko couldn't help but be a bit pleased at their disappointed expressions: she had got to leave with him.

On their way to the car, Toshiko had a thought. "You had a red bag. Where is it?"

"In the rucksack." He looked down at her. "Remember, my first rule of sneaky?" he said, raising his eyebrows enquiringly.

She sighed, "Change your appearance."

"Right, including accessories!" he laughed. They had reached the car and he unlocked it for her, dumping the rucksack in the boot. He climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Onwards!" he exclaimed. Toshiko clung to the car door as he swung the car out of the car park.


	3. On the Beach

On the Beach

The day was delightfully warm and sunny for mid-September and there were quite a few vehicles in the car park at the noted coastal viewing point. Older people sat in their cars, staring at the sea and enjoying the fresh air through open windows: some listened to the radio, others read newspapers. Young families were playing on the sand, throwing a ball about or making sand castles. In the distance, a few hardy wind surfers were trying to stay upright on the water and there were even a handful of swimmers. Couples strolled along the beach too, holding hands and talking spasmodically. All those on the beach had staked out a spot, depositing beach bags, rugs, chairs and other belongings. And in typical British fashion, these were all a fair distance from one another; no-one wanted to be close to anyone else.

Jack led Toshiko across the soft sand dunes away from the car park towards a slight headland covered in rough grass. He was carrying a picnic hamper and large umbrella while she had her shoulder bag and a blanket. They had been walking about 10 minutes when she stopped and took off her jacket; the sun was hot. Tying the arms of the jacket around her waist, in unconscious imitation of Jack who had a jumper tied in a similar way, she picked up her belongings and trotted after him.

"Are we aiming for anywhere in particular?" she called, still a few metres behind him.

"Over there," he pointed to his left, indicating an isolated spot where the headland gave a good view over the beach and sea.

It took them another 10 minutes to reach the place Jack had indicated. He set down the hamper and helped Toshiko spread out the blanket; a large blue and white one that gave plenty of room for them both to sit or lie down. The umbrella was set up at a jaunty angle to provide some shade and also hide them from view. He threw his jumper to the ground and stretched, breathing in deeply. Toshiko smiled indulgently: she could not understand why but there were times, and this was one of them, when she felt almost motherly in relation to him. He seemed to get so much innocent enjoyment from simple things.

"Tosh," he held out a hand and pulled her towards him, "come here." He held her in his arms, her back to him, and pointed out at sea. "See that, that's the Jenkins' salvage boat."

Toshiko put her hand up to shade her eyes and saw the dumpy shape of a powerful boat with cranes and other equipment on the deck. She was reaching for the binoculars in her bag, to take a closer look, when Jack stopped her and gently rotated her to look away from the boat as if showing her the view. She resisted, wanting a better look at the boat, but he held her tight and continued the gentle movement.

"Captain Jack's second rule of sneaky: don't look directly at the subject under observation."

"They won't be able to see us here," she protested, but nonetheless she stopped resisting him.

"They might. And I want them to see two people out for a picnic on a pleasant beach on a sunny day. I want them to think we picked this spot for its view and for its remoteness. After all, we don't want people close while I have my wicked way with you," he whispered suggestively in her ear, the breath tickling her.

She laughed. There was no denying Jack Harkness could be charming when he chose and that was obviously how he planned to be this day. They stood looking out at the view, which was remarkably fine, for some minutes before Jack sat down on the blanket. Toshiko joined him, kicking off her shoes and relaxing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to the seaside, certainly not for years. The smell of sea air was reminding her of happy days when she'd been younger and the family had managed a day out, taking the train from London to Southend. Good times.

_More will be coming soon. _


	4. Base Camp

_Story becomes a bit clearer from here on ... I hope!_

* * *

Base Camp

"Do you think we look suitably ordinary?" asked Jack. He had orientated them so that they were at right angles to the sea, with the beach in front of them and the rising headland behind. They could still see the water and salvage boat but it was not in their obvious line of sight. The position was also ideal for relaxing as it sheltered them from the breeze and from prying eyes.

"Seems a bit exposed. We're the only ones here," she replied.

"Good. That's Captain Jack's third rule of sneaky: hide in plain sight." She groaned. Jack opened the picnic hamper which had a mixture of items inside. He took out a small radio and tuned it to an easy-listening station.

"Music while we work?" asked Toshiko, smiling.

Jack smiled back, "Not quite. It's also a perimeter alarm. If anyone gets to within 50 metres of us it'll give out a signal to alert us."

"Clever," she acknowledged. She pointed to her laptop, resting in the hamper where she had put it, "Pass me that," she said, holding out her hand.

"No. It would look just a bit ridiculous, don't you think? You can, however, use it while it's still in the hamper." He smiled across at her, "The hamper also acts as a power source."

"You think of everything," she conceded, moving over to sit next to the hamper. She opened the laptop and logged on, checking all was well.

"Run a scan on the boat, it should be in range. I'd like to know why they've been at that spot, on and off, for the past two weeks. There's been no wrecks or spillages from cargo ships so what's so interesting?" Jack leant back on his hands, face turned up to the sky. He looked like someone just enjoying the sunshine. "That, by the way, is my fourth rule of sneaky: use all the technology you've got to make the job easier."

"I like that one!" she laughed.

"Thought you would."

Toshiko set up her scan. "It'll take a little while," she said, looking over at him.

"Then close the hamper, your laptop'll be okay, and lie down here next to me. Relax." He lay down, with one arm above his head, the other across his middle. "That is my fifth rule: enjoy yourself at every opportunity 'cos you never know what'll happen next."

Toshiko smiled and did as she was bid. It seemed odd not to take a more pro-active approach but if Jack wanted to operate this way she was not going to argue. She found a comfortable position and closed her eyes.


	5. Tommy

Tommy

Time passed and the two lay enjoying the warmth and the peace. Ahead of them children played and the odd shriek of laughter or shout of frustration reached them from time to time. In the car park, just barely visible on the far left, there were flashes of light as the sun reflected in the windscreens of vehicles arriving or departing.

Jack sat up, reaching for the hamper and the bottle of water he'd stowed there. He took a sip. "You want any?" he asked, offering it to Toshiko.

"No, thanks." She kept her eyes closed, relishing the moment away from aliens and pressure and ... oh, all that goes with life as a Torchwood operative. "How's the scan going?"

"Says it's 38 per cent complete," replied Jack, after checked the screen. He lay back down, folding his jumper to provide a pillow for his head. "How are you, Tosh?" he asked, his voice serious.

"Umm?" she breathed, almost on the verge of sleep.

"I said, how are you? You've had a tough few days."

Toshiko opened her eyes, some of the tension returning. "I'm fine, Jack."

"Really?" He turned onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow, looking down on her. "It was a hard thing to have to do, and I'm sorry I had to ask you to do it, but I am so proud of you."

She looked him in the eyes and saw he meant it. It had been hard to encourage (she could not admit, even to herself, that it had really been 'force') Tommy to return to 1918 knowing he would by murdered – she could think of it no other way – by firing squad. "It had to be done and I was the best one to do it," she said finally.

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"No, it doesn't." She was silent for a while, feeling Jack's eyes still on her. "Gwen told me you were there, in the trenches. What was it like?" She looked at him directly and saw pain on his face, especially his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said immediately, reaching to touch his hand, "you don't have to tell me."

He smiled but it did not remove the look in his eyes. "It was 90 years' ago and it's taken me that long to put it into perspective, to think about it rationally. So much has been written about that time and for the most part it's true. The generals running it did their best, they'd just never fought a war like it and didn't understand how to win. They held the status quo and the men were used as cannon fodder. What I remember most is the mud, the appalling living conditions and the noise. And the terror: I've faced Daleks and not been as scared as I was then! Some men endured all that for the full four years of the War; I don't know how they did it. I popped in and out, doing various tasks for Torchwood, but served nearly two years altogether and it affected me too. It's no surprise that men lost their nerve. Just a great pity that it was misunderstood at the time. No-one was trying to be cruel or unfeeling, they just didn't know any better."

"You don't blame them?" Toshiko could not quite disguise her incredulity.

"No, I don't. Not now. The officers were out of their depth, Governments too. They did what they thought was right when the men wouldn't fight and I doubt the people back home would have disagreed if they'd known." He looked at her, "There was a great feeling of 'King and Country' and everyone doing their bit. It's impossible to describe. You have to have been there."

"So Tommy was treated fairly?" she tried to keep her voice neutral and just about succeeded.

"For his time, yes." He paused, "He would have died that way if Torchwood hadn't intervened. Because we did, he had a chance to see far into his future while he was still young enough to appreciate it. And he had time to meet and get to know you."

Toshiko was silent for some time, then spoke. "He would have fitted into this time, if we hadn't sent him back."

"But this time would have been fractured and none of us or this," he gestured around them, "would be here. He saved his future, our present. He was a hero."

"Yes, he was," she agreed, tears seeping from the corner of her eyes. She reached for Jack who wrapped her in his arms and held her close, rocking gently.

Toshiko had not grieved for Tommy after she had seen him in the 1918 hospital. She had not cried in the last few days while she had carried on with her work. Now she let out her feelings and cried for the young man she had known, the man she had taken to her bed on his last night with Torchwood. She cried for his wasted life and for the lives of all the other young men who had died in that terrible war.

Jack held her and let her weep, recognising her need. He didn't say anything, just lay on the blanket and held her in his arms, half across his body, as she cried for the young man she had known for a total of only four days but who had found a place in her heart. He smiled to himself; his purpose in bringing her here had been achieved.

* * *

_I always thought Jack should have had a word with Tosh at the end of the episode, not Owen!_


	6. Lunch

Lunch

Some time later Toshiko stopped crying. She made to move away from Jack but he held her in place, not wanting her to be alone again. He recognised and respected her private and self-sufficient nature but on this occasion he believed she needed the comfort of a human touch. She did not resist him and lay quiet in his arms. They finally drew apart when Jack's stomach growled making them both laugh, the best way of dispelling the sadness.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, chuckling. He sat up. "Time for lunch, I think."

"Sounds good." Toshiko shuffled over to the hamper and opened it. Underneath the laptop were plates, a stack of Tupperware boxes and a couple of thermos flasks. "What's in here?" she asked, pulling out the plates and first of the boxes.

"No idea. Ianto packed it."

"It'll be good then," she remarked, piling more boxes on the blanket. When they were all out she sat crossed legged facing Jack, her skirt pulled down decorously over her knees. "Hey, these boxes are numbered!"

"I told you, Ianto packed it," said Jack, pulling a face. "You have no idea what I have to put up with," he sighed, "all my cupboards and drawers are labelled and everything in them is stowed just so. Sometimes, I just muddle everything up for the sake of it!"

"Poor you," she said, in mock sympathy. She found the box numbered '1' and opened it. Inside were cutlery, napkins and salt and pepper and other condiments. She laughed, "I think I'm starting to see what you mean."

"He does like everything in its right place." He had found box number '2' and found it contained a pasta salad. "This must be yours." He passed it to her.

"Why is this mine? It could be for you," she remarked, taking it nonetheless: it looked and smelled good and she was hungry,

"No way, I hate cold pasta. Something slimy about it." He had found box number '3', "This is more like it." He took a large bite out of a thick pork and chutney sandwich and chewed appreciatively.

The two continued their lunch in this way, opening the boxes in the proscribed order and devouring the contents. They munched through the lot, finishing with some fruit. Jack decided to throw a grape into Toshiko's mouth and hit the target first time. Her aim was not so good and Jack was struck in the eye. In this fashion, laughing uproariously, they finished their meal. Jack poured coffee for them and they savoured the smell and taste of Ianto's special blend.

"How does he make such good coffee?" asked Toshiko, staring out along the beach.

"Don't know, don't want to know. It's one of those mysteries of life that one just has to accept."

"He's a real asset, you know, to the team. I couldn't believe how well he did when you were gone, going out on missions like a pro even though he was missing you like crazy." She looked at him and saw his expression darken.

"Yeah, I realise that. You all did well." He didn't really want to think of the year that never was and what his little team had gone through without him.

"He's a lot happier now." She smiled mischievously, "He told me about your date." His head shot up and he looked at her in horror. "Hey, it could happen to anyone. I mean, how were you to know that dog was there," she laughed.

He looked away disgustedly. "Wretched animal. He tells you a lot by the sounds of it." He made it a statement but there was a note of enquiry in his voice too.

She shrugged, "Sometimes. Neither of us has anyone else to talk to." She realised how that sounded and added quickly, "Well, no, of course he has you. I suppose there are just some things he doesn't want to talk to you about."

Jack was interested and turned to face her, "Like what?"

"I'm not going to betray his confidence," she said firmly. And despite his pleas and entreaties she said nothing more on the subject.


	7. A Walk

A Walk

After returning all the boxes, cutlery and crockery to the hamper, Jack and Toshiko decided to take a walk along the beach. The computer scan was still not quite complete and they both felt in need of some exercise to aid their digestion. Making sure their stuff was secure – the hamper was a versatile piece of equipment – they sauntered along the sand close to the water. Jack removed his trainers and let the sea wash over his feet. After a while Toshiko paddled too, hoisting her skirt to avoid it getting wet. They reached a patch of pebbles and Jack bent down and searched among the stones, finally straightening up with a number in his hands.

"Let's see if I can remember how to do this," he said walking to the water's edge. He bent his arm and flung the stone, pleased to see it skip three times before disappearing below the waves.

"Not bad," commented Toshiko.

"I used to be really good at this," said Jack, flinging another couple of stones. The first skipped four times, the second five. "Spent years of my youth perfecting my technique." He grinned and threw another stone which skipped seven times.

Toshiko clapped her hands. "Very good. Can I have a go?"

Jack handed her a couple of stones and she threw them, one after the other, attempting to use the same technique as Jack. The stones plopped into the water without a skip! She laughed, not really surprised. Jack used his last stone to have another go and this time it skipped nine times. He laughed and rubbed his hands against his shorts to remove the sand that clung to them.

"My record was 24 skips but that was in different sea conditions," he said, turning to walk back to their spot in the headland.

"Wow, I'm impressed." She paused and then asked, "Where was this? Here in Wales?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, not sure if she was joking. "Do I sound like I grew up in Wales?" he asked incredulous.

"No, I suppose not," she said ruefully, "sorry. So where was it?"

They walked a few more paces before he replied. "It was a tiny place called the Boeshane Peninsula. Looked a lot like this, sea and sand and not much more."

"I've not heard of it. Is it in California, or Florida maybe?"

He laughed, "A bit further away than that." They had reached the blanket and he stopped and turned to look at her. "It's on the northern land mass of the fourth planet in the Silver Devastation, a little to the left of the Horsehead Nebula." He watched closely to see what effect his words would have: he had told Ianto something of his childhood home but not the rest of the team – not yet.

She looked at him disbelievingly and opened her mouth to protest but his expression stopped her; she found she believed him. She believed he was from another planet – it made so much sense. "And you swapped that for Cardiff?" she joked.

He laughed, gratified at her response. "Not much difference really. But I do miss numalligogs. I'd give anything to taste one of those again."

Toshiko had sat down on the blanket and looked up at him, shading her eyes against the sun's glare. "What on earth is a numa-whatsit?"

"Numalligog, and that's the point. They're not on Earth. They don't come from here. They're from Veplocsian and that planet won't be discovered for another millennium or two." He saw her confused expression. "They're a sweet, a candy, and they taste gorgeous. A bit like strawberry and rhubarb with some cinnamon thrown in."

"So you are from another time," she said, welcoming the confirmation of Captain John's assertions. It didn't bother her that Jack was from another planet and another time. She had known him for four years and trusted him with her life. Without him, she wouldn't have had a life – not one worth living anyway.

He sat down beside her, using the blanket to rub the worst of the sand from their feet. "The 51st century," he confirmed. "By then humans have colonised lots of different worlds and I was born on one of the most insignificant," he smiled, "but it was home."

"You must miss it."

"Not often but sometimes, like now, when I'm reminded of what it was like, I get a little pang of homesickness." He grinned ruefully.

* * *

_You'll find out what Jack and Tosh are doing on the beach soon ..._


	8. The Boat

The Boat

Toshiko decided it was time to change the subject and leant over the hamper. The laptop's screen showed her the scan was complete and she punched a few buttons to get at the results. She pondered as she typed, taking in the information.

"Well?" asked Jack, sitting just behind her. He was twirling a piece of grass between his teeth and staring out to sea where the boat was still stationed.

"There's some strange energy readings, from both the boat and the surrounding water. I think," she paused and concentrated on her typing for a moment, "yes, that's it. The energy is primarily underneath the boat, about 35 metres down."

"When you say strange energy, do you mean alien?"

"Yes. I can't be sure but I think we've encountered it before. It rings a bell, something I've seen in the last couple of years." She looked over at him. "I can't access the database I need from here."

"Okay." He took out his mobile phone and punched in the base's number. "Gwen, how's things?" He was silent as he listened to her report. "Fine. There's something I need you to do. Tosh is going to send the results of a scan she's done. Get Ianto to analyse it and, specifically, to check it against the database: Tosh thinks we've come across this before. Maybe in the past couple of years." He listened again before speaking, "That's right. I want you to access the NASA satellite and find our position. Take a sweep of the surroundings and you'll find a boat. Focus on that and see what you find, also scan through the water to 30 or 40 metres below the boat. Use the phone co-ordinates to get our location. Got that?" He listened for a final time then closed the phone. "You heard all that?" he asked Toshiko.

"Yeah. I've sent the scan results to Ianto." She continued to play with the information available to her. "There's a correlation between this location and Rift activity about four weeks ago. And UNIT activity was reported up here shortly afterwards. Do you think something might have come through?"

"That's my guess. I suspect Ruth Jenkins' husband found out and she saw a chance to make money out of it somehow. But UNIT's left it alone which suggests it's harmless. Either they didn't want it or didn't think they could reach it so left it alone."

"Or Ruth's husband put them off the scent."

Jack pondered this but found he couldn't quite believe it. "I don't think so. All the UNIT personnel I've ever met, and that's a lot!, are paranoid about national security. I think it's more likely he let something slip – pillow talk – and Ruth and her family saw an opportunity."

Their musings were interrupted when Jack's mobile rang. He glanced at the display as he answered it. "Gwen. What news?" He started to listen then realised Toshiko could not hear. "Hang on, I'm putting you on speaker." He pressed the necessary buttons. "Okay, go ahead."


	9. Phone Call

Phone call

Gwen's voice came through the speaker, "We've got the scan from Tosh and Ianto's working on it. I've got the NASA satellite images up on screen in front of me." She giggled, "Love the shorts!"

"You're supposed to be concentrating on the boat not my ass!" protested Jack, grinning at Toshiko.

"Can't see it, you're sitting on it!" Gwen retorted, laughing. "But, back to business. I can see a boat – blue and white about 100 metres off-shore: is that the one?"

"Yep, the only one around for miles!" pointed out Jack sarcastically.

"Do you want me to help or not?" responded Gwen before continuing. "There's definitely something under the boat, 37 metres down. Owen's analysed the readings and it's not organic. It's about five metres across, 10 wide and 15 deep, approximately oblong. It's solid, or made of something these scans can't penetrate. Hang on," her voice disappeared for a couple of minutes, "Ianto has something to tell you."

"Jack?" it was Ianto.

"We're here. What have you found?"

"I've checked back and Tosh was right. It was 17 months ago that we discovered the Fenccisitian tablet, that block with ..."

"I know what you mean," cut in Jack. Toshiko also knew what Ianto meant; she was already using her laptop to access details. "Tosh is looking it up as we speak. So today's scan has the same energy reading?"

"Yes, although these are much stronger. I've looked back over recent Rift activity and there was a spike 26 days ago at your location."

"Yeah, Tosh recalled that too. Hold on, Tosh wants to speak to you."

"Ianto. Run the scan results I sent through program 6Delta9.3, that should give us something."

"Will do. Oh, Gwen wants you."

Gwen came on the line. "I cross-referenced with other databases and there's a report from UNIT filed a couple of weeks ago. It's not very informative but I've sent it to Tosh just in case it helps."

"Great, thanks." Jack looked across at Tosh who nodded that she had received the e-mail. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Ianto was back on the line. "The scan Tosh suggested is just about done, if you can wait a minute or two I'll be able to forward it to you." There was a pause. "Are you having a good day?"

"Great, thanks," laughed Jack. "And lunch was wonderful. Tosh especially liked your filing system," referring to the numbered boxes.

Ianto sounded peeved when he replied, "It just makes sense to be organised, Jack, and it doesn't take any longer." Jack looked across at Tosh and made a face; Ianto could get uptight about the simplest things. "I saw that, Jack!"

"What?"

"You pulling faces. You just don't appreciate me." Jack was reasonably sure Ianto was not really upset but there was no point in taking a risk.

"I'm sorry, Ianto." He paused as another thought came to him. "Just what magnification are you using there?"

"So high we can count the grains of sand on your feet." Jack looked down at his feet which were still sandy. "By the way, why haven't I seen you in those shorts before?"

Jack laughed, all was right between them. "If you're lucky, I'll keep them on until we get back." He was pleased to hear Ianto laugh.

"I'll look forward to it. Right, scan results are ready and they look really interesting. I'm sending them to you now."

"Okay, thanks to all. We'll be in touch when we've had a look at all this."


	10. Analysis

Analysis

Toshiko was in her element. She had removed the laptop from the hamper, with Jack's agreement, and had it half-concealed on her lap, covered by her jacket. From a distance it looked as if she was sitting with her jacket over raised knees. She typed quickly and accurately, which always impressed Jack: he could hit the right keys but not always in the right order. He couldn't wait for thought activation to be invented. Toshiko was mumbling and Jack smiled, she was so good at what she did and lost herself in it totally. He had tried asking a question or two but had been told to wait so was staring out to sea and taking sips from his water bottle.

"Done" announced Toshiko.

"Fire away," said Jack, turning to face her.

"Okay. You'll recall we found the Fenccisitian tablet because of the levels of energy it was emitting. This proved harmless and we examined it some more and eventually managed to open it, where it had been damaged down one of the seams. It contained much higher levels of energy once opened which originated from a small block of a high density material that we still haven't identified. The energy was compatible with electricity."

"Yeah, we ran one of Owen's scanners on it. Worked a treat."

"Precisely. That test showed that a minute piece of the block would power the whole base indefinitely, well, for at least a hundred years."

Jack laughed, "Ianto was so peeved I wouldn't let him hook everything up. Said we could save a fortune on fuel bills."

She looked over at him, her face stern. "It could do more than that, Jack. If we could understand it, it could meet the world's energy needs and stop this stupid dependency on fossil fuels. It could have driven vehicles as well as homes and businesses you know."

"I know, Tosh, I know. We had all this out before. The Earth has to find its own way out of the mess it's made. We cannot use alien technology whenever it suits us." He was emphatic and she sighed in frustration; there were so many things Torchwood had found that would have benefited mankind and they were just mouldering in the archives. He relented when her saw her expression, "Don't look so despondent. You people are very inventive and in a few years you'll wonder why you bothered with oil for so long."

Feeling a little better, Toshiko went back to her laptop. "Anyway," she said, "getting back to the point. The thing out under the water is giving off the same energy and I am 99 per cent sure that the object Gwen found on the satellite scan contains another of the energy giving blocks. It's much larger than the one in the tablet so could be capable of powering much, much more." She paused, then continued. "When the thing found its way here, UNIT noted it and followed up. The report shows that they sent down divers, having decided it was not dangerous, but couldn't find a way to open it. Like us, they realised it's potential and have flagged the object up for further examination. But it doesn't have a high priority. I'd say it'll take them another few weeks at least to get together a team and come back."

"So," Jack conjectured, "UNIT put it on hold but probably knew what it could do, i.e. act as a power source. This Carter guy tells his wife who immediately sees the potential. If she can get to it first, she'd have something of immense value that individuals and even governments would fight to get. And what she needs to access it is right at hand, the family's salvage boat." He stared at the craft.

"I think they've already tapped into it." Jack stared at her. "You remember, the scan showed the energy on the boat as well as below it?" Realisation dawned on his face. "That's right, they must have opened it and are powering machinery on the boat. They've been at it for at least two weeks which for an experienced salvage team is more than enough time," she concluded.

* * *

_Will be concluded with the next chapters - promise_


	11. Action

Action

Jack was lost in thought. He mulled over all that Toshiko had said and agreed with her conclusions; the Jenkins family was 'mining', for want of a better word, alien energy and using it to power the boat. If they could contain it they could sell it for use in all manner of vehicles and machinery. They had the monopoly and could make it available to whoever they wished and charge whatever they wanted. Allowing the alien energy to be used now would skew human history and Jack was determined not to let that happen. But how? He could alert UNIT but he wasn't sure he trusted them not to do the same as the Jenkins'. Destroying the object was not an option; he hadn't come up with anything that would work on the much smaller block Torchwood had found. He smiled as he remembered Ianto's face when told he'd have to encase it in a lead-lined container two feet thick to contain the energy leakage. A container? He wondered ...

"What?" asked Toshiko seeing Jack's smile and knowing what it meant.

He looked across at her. "Captain Jack's sixth rule of sneaky: get others to do your work for you whenever you can." He grinned maniacally. "We'll need some nifty work on the PC, Tosh." He explained the plan to her and she began to smile too.

The two set to work, Toshiko on the laptop and Jack on his mobile. For the next 30 minutes they concentrated on their tasks, setting up the background needed to make this work. When they'd finished, they sat for another 30 minutes, anxiously watching the boat (hoping it would not leave) and the road (hoping the emergency services would appear). Both hopes were realised. Police cars appeared at speed with ambulances following in their wake. At sea, the salvage boat suddenly found itself surrounded by police and coastguard launches and even a Navy minesweeper that had happened to be in the area. Policemen fanned out across the beach, herding everyone away from the water and back to their cars. Jack and Toshiko had anticipated this and were already packed and walking back, as if their day at the seaside was over, when the police officers urged them on their way. They were loading the car when the Army trucks hove into view, and they were driving off as Hazardous Waste Containment Unit (HWCU) jeeps crept across the sands.

Jack and Toshiko laughed as they crawled along the roads, crowded now with day trippers forcibly ejected from the beach, local households evacuated from their homes, onlookers and emergency vehicles. It took them over two hours to make it back to Cardiff and it was just on 4pm when they walked through the cog door into the Hub.

"What's happening?" asked Jack, dumping the hamper and other stuff inside the door and taking the steps two at a time up the work area. Toshiko was at his heels and more or less tossed Ianto out of her chair so she could get to her workstation.

"It's all going just as planned," smiled Gwen. She was at Owen's desk, watching the activity at Ogmore Beach. Jack leant over her shoulder and saw the place covered with vehicles and official personnel. "They brought the container in about 10 minutes ago." She refocused the satellite feed and Jack saw the huge, green lead-lined box with hazard warnings signs on all sides. It was close to the water's edge.

"Fantastic!" he shouted, slapping Gwen on the shoulder. "Fantastic," he repeated more quietly. He turned to Toshiko. "Tosh, everything holding up your end?" She threw him a filthy look. "Sorry," he said immediately, "of course it is." He grinned at her.

She was busy at her PC, monitoring the communications between the Army, police and HWCU. They were all still convinced they had a major chemical dumping site close to a residential and leisure area.


	12. Winding Down

_And now for the epilogue. Thanks to those who've reviewed._

* * *

Winding Down

Jack was delighted that his ruse had worked and was full of beans. His mood was infectious and the others were grinning at one another. It wasn't often that such a neat solution, involving no risk to Torchwood personnel, was available and they made the most of it. Activity at the beach was still going on an hour or so later, when Ianto made the rounds with more coffee. Toshiko and Gwen were at the desks while Jack was sprawled on the sofa, feet propped on the table. Owen was leaning against the wall near the entrance to the medical bay.

"Thanks," said Jack, taking the coffee mug. He smiled up Ianto and then beamed at the others. "We did good today."

"How do you think UNIT will react?" asked Owen.

"I think, no, I know, they'll be incandescent with rage," smirked Jack. He sipped the coffee which was just as he liked it, dark and strong. "After all, having one of their people implicated and their repository of alien energy sealed inside a HWCU container won't be easy to swallow. And no amount of pleading will get that container opened for at least a hundred years."

"What gave you the idea?" asked Gwen.

"I remembered Ianto's face when he had to deal with the Fenccisitian Tablet," he smiled at the young man again, "and thought why not get this one handled in the same way. With Tosh's nimble fingers, it was easy to persuade the authorities that chemical dumping was going on at the beach."

"And your phone calls giving anonymous tips were the spur to get everyone moving immediately," finished Toshiko.

"What's happened to the Jenkins lot?" put in Gwen.

"The sons, Gareth and David, were on the boat and have been detained. Carter, the UNIT guy, has been arrested at his home. The Jenkins daughter, Ruth, is being questioned and given her record I think it likely she'll be charged too," Toshiko answered. "No news on father Jenkins yet but he should be implicated."

"So they're all off the scene, for a bit anyway," said Owen. "Neat."

"Yeah and no-one knows we had anything to do with it," Jack said with satisfaction. "A good day's work all round."

"Work?!" scoffed Owen. "You've been bunking off at the beach all day!"

"Hey, I was working hard," protested Jack before grinning widely and adding, "on my tan!" The rest laughed, for once content to let him get the last word. "And seeing as we're all done here, why don't you all take off. No need to hang around any longer."

They were happy to accept this dismissal and finished their drinks and cleared up, leaving the Hub within about 20 minutes. Owen offered Toshiko a lift and it looked like they might make an evening of it; Gwen hurried home to change and make dinner for Rhys, a rare event these days.

Ianto took his time unpacking the hamper and washing the coffee mugs to ensure he would be alone with Jack. He walked to Jack's office where the latter was humming a tune as he flicked through the papers that had accumulated on his desk. He was standing with his back to the door, on the wrong side of his desk. Ianto stopped in the doorway and took in the sight; tight T-shirt topping snug shorts and shapely legs, very pleasing on the eye.

"Like what you see?" asked Jack without turning round.

"Very much." Ianto moved into the room, standing behind his boss and wrapping his arms round his waist. "You can keep those on for the rest of the night."

"All night?" queried Jack, laughing suggestively.

"Well, maybe not all night," chuckled Ianto.

* * *

_That's the lot, hope you liked my little tale._


End file.
